IRNSS

(Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System)

-Navigation with Indian Constellation

Aditya Narayan Shukla (SC20B136)

Wankhedkar Jetkumar Pramod (SC20B064)

Sarath Krishnan S. (SC20B052)

Objectives of the mission
Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS) is an independent, indigenously developed satellite
navigation system fully planned, established and controlled by the Indian Space Research Organization
(ISRO).

IRNSS is the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System that will provide high accuracy navigation
service for the Indian region. It is designed to provide accurate position information service to users in
India as well as the region extending up to 1500 km from its boundary, which is its primary service area.
IRNSS will provide two types of services, namely, Standard Positioning Service (SPS) and Restricted
Service (RS) and is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20m in the primary service
area.

The proposed IRNSS system will consist of a constellation of seven satellites and a supporting ground
segment. Three of the satellites in the constellation will be placed in a geostationary orbit and the
remaining four in a geosynchronous inclined orbit of 29º relative to the equatorial plane. Such an
arrangement would mean all seven satellites would have continuous radio visibility with Indian control
stations.

Mission architecture
IRNSS-1A was launched on July 01, 2013 by PSLVC22 from SDSC, Sriharikota. The s/c mass at lift off was
1425 kg with a propellant loading of 810.4 kg. IRNSS-1A was injected into a sub-Geosynchronous Transfer
Orbit (sub-GTO) by PSLV with a 284 km perigee and 20,653 km apogee with an inclination of 18 deg with
respect to the equatorial plane.

Figure 1: IRNSS constellation

The 440 N Liquid Engine (LE), mounted along negative roll axis, is used for orbit raising. The gyros
are used as attitude reference during LE burns (LEB). The gyros are calibrated using star sensor
attitude data. For the first time in ISRO’s geosynchronous missions, LEB operation is carried out with
 thrust vector steering using uplinked attitude steering profile (ASP). The IRNSS constellation orbit
characteristics are given in Table 1 and the same is depicted in Fig. 1.
 No of spacecraft in constellation: 7
 IGSO : Inclined geosynchronous orbit
 INCL : Inclination, RAAN : Right Ascension of Ascending Node
 Longitude given in column#2 is at Equatorial Crossing for IGSO

IRNSS # Long. (ºE) INCL RAAN

(º) (º)
1A 55.0 29º (± 2) 135
1B 55.0 29º (± 2) 310
1C 83.0 5 274
1D 111.75 29º (± 2) 135
1E 111.75 29º (± 2) 310
1F 32.5 5 270
1G 131.5 5 270

Table 1: IRNSS Constellation Characteristics

The constellation orbit inclination and equatorial crossing longitude values were chosen by the
Navigation team (NAV) to meet the user position accuracy requirements.

The RAAN value is chosen for IGSO to minimize the number of days of eclipse over the mission life.
Inclination is targeted at 27 deg, at beginning of operational life (BOL), because the natural perturbation
increases inclination and NAV has allowed an inclination range of 27 to 31 deg for the IGS orbit. RAAN of
141 deg is chosen at BOL of IRNSS-1A so that RAAN reaches 135 deg about a year later by which time
IRNSS-1B will be launched which will also be positioned at 55 deg East with RAAN of 310 deg. The PSLV
sub-synchronous transfer orbit parameters are provided in Table 2. This paper provides the various
mission analyses carried out for the IRNSS1A NGS orbit mission covering launch window, maneuver
strategies and mission profile studies.

The following are the mission analyses carried out for planning the IRNSS-1A mission:
• Launch window
• Maneuver strategy design for nominal, backup and contingency scenarios
• LEB orientation phase studies
• Mission profile studies
• Range vector profiles in s/c frame in all phases

Orbital Parameters at Injection

 Epoch (U T) Epoch (U T)
Perigee Height Perigee Height
Apogee Height Apogee Height
Inclination Inclination
Arg. of Perigee Arg. of Perigee
RAAN RAAN
Mean Anomaly Mean Anomaly
Orbit Period Orbit Period

Table-2: IRNSS-1A/PSLV-C22 Injection Parameters

The launch time for IRNSS-1A mission is determined by the RAAN requirement. IRNSS-1B launch was
scheduled about a year after 1A launch. The RAAN variation in IGSO phase was found to be about -6
deg/year. IRNSS-1A RAAN of 143 deg is chosen at separation from PSLV so that after all the LEBs, it
reaches 141 deg. A year later, it reaches 135 deg and will be ready to be phased as desired with 1B. The
launch window was generated over the year. Launch window duration of 20 min is provided allowing for a
RAAN variation of 5 deg over the window, which had been cleared by NAV team. The ascent phase sun
aspect angles in s/c frame and transfer orbit phase eclipse pattern were studied as a function of the
launch date and time. In the ascent phase which is of 1220 s duration, using the launch trajectory and
attitude profile data provided by PSLV and considering the mounting of the s/c on PSLV, the sun aspect
angle profiles with each of the s/c axes and planes were generated and studied. The results were
provided to thermal sub-system for their analysis.

The sun angles with star sensor bore axes were studied and results provided to Sensor designers. Since
star sensors are off during ascent phase, the bright light clearance required was specified as 20 deg from
the bore axis. The Sun-to-Star sensor axis angle profiles during ascent phase for three different seasons
are shown in Fig. 2, 3 & 4 respectively. For Mar 20 launch, it was found that sun comes within 20 deg of
star sensor South axis from about 731 sec past lift-off for a duration of 470 sec and the minimum angle is
about 11 deg which occurs at1031 sec past lift-off. For Jun 20 launch, sun comes within 20 deg of star
sensor North axis from about 826 sec past lift-off till injection for a duration of 474 sec and the minimum
angle is about11.8 deg which occurs at 1161 sec past lift-off. For Dec 22 launch, sun is well beyond the 20
deg limit from both star sensor axes throughout the ascent phase.

Figure-2: Sun-to-Star sensor axis angle profile during ascent phase (Mar 20)
 Figure-3: Sun-to-Star sensor axis angle profile during ascent phase (Jun 20)

Figure-4: Sun-to-Star sensor axis angle profile during ascent phase (Dec 22)

LAUNCH DATES
The sun-orbit geometry varies as a function of the launch date which results in eclipse pattern variation
in T.O. phase. T.O. eclipse durations for IRNSS-1A were studied over the year. The T.O. eclipse summary
as a function of launch date is provided in Table 3. The maximum eclipse in T.O. phase is about 79 min for
launch in last week of February. During the orbit raising phase for the end February launch, it was found
that the eclipse duration increases to a maximum of 115 min in the intermediate orbits.

Sun T.O.
Launc RA Sun Eclipse
h (deg) Dec dur.(min)
Date (deg)
Jan 30 312.1 - No Eclipse
17.832
Feb 4 317.2 -16.42 No Eclipse
Feb 7 320.2 -15.51 27.0
Feb 9 322.2 -14.89 46.0
Feb 19 332.0 -11.52 77.2
Feb 28 341.4 -7.86 78.6
Mar 10 350.7 -4.01 68.6
Mar 20 359.8 -0.074 54.4
Mar 30 9.8 4.23 39.4
May 9 47.2 17.641 23.22
Jun 20 89.8 23.436 22.24
Aug 7 138.0 16.182 23.75
Sep 20 178.1 0.815 26.74
 Nov 15 231.0 - 16.00
18.620
Dec 22 270.9 - No Eclipse
23.433

Table-3: IRNSS-1A T.O. Eclipse Summary as a Function of Launch Date

The Power subsystem engineers designed their charging scheme based on these predictions. The star
sensor bright light clearance constraint was examined during LEB maneuver orientation phases as a
function of launch date. Star sensor to sun angle should be greater than 40 deg in LEB orientation. In case
of any violation of this constraint, an appropriate bias is provided about the thrust direction (Roll) to
clear the sensor from the sun. The launch window for the launch period of June-July, 2013 is provided in
Table 4. The sun-orbit geometry for July 1, when IRNSS-1A was launched, is shown in Fig. 5.

Figure-5: Sun-Orbit geometry and spacecraft orientation

LAUNCH WINDOW
The following are the launch windows for the launch.

DATE LW OPEN LW CLOSE DUR.

(UT at LIFT-OFF) (MIN)
JUN 01 20:10 20:30 20

JUN 05 19:54 20:14 20

JUN 10 19:35 19:55 20

JUN 15 19:15 19:35 20

JUN 20 18:56 19:16 20

JUN 25 18:36 18:56 20

JUL 01 18:11 18:31 20

JUL 05 17:57 18:17 20

JUL 10 17:37 1757 20

 JUL 15 17:17 17:37 20

JUL 20 16:58 17:18 20

JUL 25 16:38 16:58 20

JUL 30 16:18 16:38 20

JUL 31 16:14 16:34 20

Table-4: IRNSS-1A Launch Window

MANEUVER STRATEGY TO ACHIEVE TARGET ORBIT

The objective of the maneuver strategy is to achieve the desired drift orbit satisfying the mission
constraints and minimizing the propellant expenditure. Since IRNSS-1A is put into a sub-GTO, the optimal
strategy is to first perform an in-plane maneuver at perigee to raise the T.O. apogee to synchronous level
and then perform combined maneuvers at the synchronous apogee to achieve the desired drift orbit with
the desired inclination. The perigee burn opportunities were examined considering ground station
visibility requirement for monitoring the burn. It was found that adequate visibility was not available
around perigee crossings to have the burn centered on Perigee. Mission put a constraint that every Liquid
Engine Burn had to be with ground station visibility.

The following maneuver strategy was proposed considering the Mission constraint of fully monitoring
each LEB:

Operationally Optimal Strategy: Two Near-perigee burns around Perigee#5 and Perigee#8 with
single station visibility during the burn and three apogee burns with dual station visibility.

The target drift orbit inclination was chosen as 27 deg to minimize the inclination correction in the
apogee maneuvers. Since the IGSO RAAN was 141 deg, the luni-solar gravitational perturbations increase
the inclination. The inclination control strategy proposed was to achieve 27 deg at beginning of life, allow
it to naturally build up to 29 deg and then use the available propellant to maintain the inclination around
29 deg. After using up the available propellant, allow the inclination to further naturally increase up to 31
deg. This way, the s/c operational life is enhanced over 5 years.

The following maneuver strategies are designed and analyzed:

1) Nominal & backup strategies

2) Maneuver strategy for T.O. with worst case launch dispersions
3) Contingency scenarios:
a) A near full burn at Apogee-1 if a leak is observed after separation from the launch vehicle in
the Liquid Engine line.
b) A large first burn is required in case of a propulsion contingency after Latch Valve Gas side
(LVG) open before apogee#4
c) If a leak is observed in the propulsion system over the course of maneuver#1 (MVR#1), then
Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM) burn has to be completed within next 14 hours.

Nominal Maneuver Strategy:

The operationally optimal nominal maneuver strategy is a 5-burn strategy with two near-perigee burns
and three apogee burns. Two near-perigee burns are planned to raise the T.O. apogee to synchronous
level. The first burn is carried out post-perigee#5 and is fully supported by Biak. The elevation profile for
network stations around perigee#5 is shown in Fig 8. Biak visibility starts about 1 min before burn start
and its elevation is about 8.5 deg at the time of burn start and about 4.6 deg at burn end. The nominal
maneuver strategy is summarized in Table 6. MVR#1 starts in eclipse. Eclipse starts about 17 min before
the burn and ends 5.2 min after burn start. The last 2.4 min of the 7.7 min burn is sunlit. The post-
maneuver#1 elevation profiles for the ground stations are shown in Fig. 9.

The second burn is carried out pre-perigee#8 and is supported by Hassan and Biak. The elevation profile
for network stations around perigee#8 is shown in Fig 10. Hassan elevation at burn start is about 24 deg
and Hassan LOS is over 3.5 min after burn start. Biak AOS occurs about 56 sec after burn start and its
elevation is about 6 deg at the time of Hassan LOS and about 8.7 deg at burn end. MVR#2 full burn
duration of 12.3 min is in eclipse. Eclipse starts 1.7 min before burn start and ends 7.8 min after burn
end. The delta-V imparted in the perigee burns is about 388.7 m/s. The propellant consumed is about
169.4 kg. The total perigee burn duration is about 1197 sec.

Three more burns are planned at apogees 9, 11 and 12 respectively to achieve the desired drift orbit.
After MVR#4, the s/c is continuously visible to Hassan. After MVR#5 at 44.5 deg East longitude, which is
10.5 deg west of the slot, the inclination achieved is 27 deg and the longitude drift rate is about 1.7
deg/rev. The time taken for drift orbit acquisition is nearly 5 days from launch. The delta-V required for
station acquisition is 5.5 m/s and corresponding propellant expenditure is 1.5 kg.

The total delta-V for achieving the desired IGS orbit is about 1893.9 m/s and the corresponding
propellant requirement is 655.5 kg. For the on-orbit inclination control maneuvers, it was found that,
using the north/south thrusters resulted in significant cross components disturbing the longitude drift
because of the –Roll thrusters coming on for attitude control. The s/c has no thrusters mounted on the +
Roll side because atomic clocks and star sensors are located on this side. Therefore, it was suggested to
mission to employ only West (-Roll) thrusters for NSSK maneuvers.

Thrust durations according to Nominal Maneuver Strategy:

APG/ Delta Burn

MVR Burn Burn Start Dur. Prop.
PRG -V (sec)
Time (UT) (kg)
No. No. % (m/s)

1 PRG-5 - 143.6 2013-07- 460.0 65.1

02,18:33

2 PRG-8 - 245.1 2013-07- 737.2 104.3

03,16:05

3 APG-9 54.0 810.0 2013-07- 2059. 290.9

04,07:53 2

4 APG- 40.9 613.1 2013-07- 1239. 174.3

11 05,13:05 9

5 APG- 5.1 76.6 2013-07- 138.3 19.4

 12 06,11:24

TOTALS 1888. 4634. 654.0

4 6

ORBITAL CHARACTERISTICS

PRG. APG. INCL. RAAN Lon Long. Perio

ALT. ALT. g d
(deg) (deg) Drift
(de (hrs)
(deg/r
g)
ev)

PRE
MVR
1
283.9 20667 17.87 142. 125. 269.0 6.049
.4 1 8 2
POST
MVR
1
295.7 25097 17. 142. 159. 250.4 7.283
.0 87 1 1 6
POST
MVR 342.9 35964 17.88 141. 147. 200.2 10.622
2
.7 5 5 3
POST
MVR 11936 35799 24.18 141. 94. 141.2 14.541
3 .5 2 5 8

POST
MVR 31637. 35804 26.75 141. 17. 26.12 22.198
4
1 .8 2 9
POST
MVR 35501. 35804. 27.00 141.2 44.5 1.70 23.822
5
9 9

Table-6: Nominal Maneuver Strategy

S/C Mass LE Thrust LE Isp

1425.0 kg 433.200 N 314.200
sec

HSN

FCNO

BIAK

FILL

Figure-8: Elevation Profiles Around MVR#1 (PRG#5)

 BIAK HSN

FILL

FCNO

FILL

BIAK

HSN

Figure-9: Elevation Profiles Post MVR#1

HSN

FCNO

BIAK
FILL

Figure-10: Elevation Profiles Around MVR#2 (PRG#8)

HSN

FILL BIAK

FCNO

Figure-11: Elevation Profiles Post MVR#2

Backup Maneuver Strategy:

The backup maneuver strategy is summarized in Table 7. If the first near-perigee burn opportunity at
perigee#5 is missed, then next opportunity is near perigee#9. Two near-perigee burns are planned to
raise the T.O. apogee to synchronous level. The first burn is carried out post-perigee#9 and is fully
supported by Biak. The second burn is carried out pre-perigee#12 and is supported by Hassan and Biak.
The delta-v imparted in the perigee burns is 387.4 m/s. The propellant consumed is 169.4 kg. The total
perigee burn duration is about 1190 sec. Three more burns are planned at apogees 13, 15 and 16
respectively to achieve the desired drift orbit. The time taken for drift orbit acquisition is nearly 6 days
from launch. The total delta-v for achieving desired NGSO is about 1892.9 m/s and the corresponding
propellant requirement is 656.9 kg.

Maneuver Strategy for 3-sigma low T.O.

The worst case 3-sigma low T.O. is constructed with the apogee, perigee and inclination values reduced
by the specified dispersion and with higher separation between apsidal and nodal lines. The PSLV launch
dispersions are given in Table 8. Perigee#5 and Perigee#9 longitudes are relatively close to Biak and
these are the near-perigee burn opportunities. Biak visibility near Perigee 5 starts about 3.5 min before
perigee crossing and lasts for over 9 min.

The Maneuver Strategy for 3-sigma low T.O. is summarized in Table 9. The first three burns are perigee
burns with first burn almost centered on perigee#5 and next two are near-perigee burns carried out pre-
perigee#9 and post-perigee#13. Maneuver#1 is supported by Biak and next two burns are supported by
Hassan. The delta-v imparted in the perigee burns is about 402 m/s. The propellant consumed is about
175 kg. The burn duration is about 1232 sec.

Three more burns are planned at apogees 15, 17 and 18 respectively to achieve the desired drift orbit.
The time taken for drift orbit acquisition is nearly 7 days from launch. The total delta-v for achieving
desired NGS orbit is about 1913 m/s and the corresponding propellant requirement is about 662 kg. The
penalty in delta-v, as compared to the nominal strategy for expected nominal T.O. case, is nearly 19 m/s
and that in propellant is about 6.6 kg.

Contingency Maneuver at Apogee#1

In case of a propulsion contingency, a full burn may have to be carried out at apogee-1. The s/c is visible
only to Fillmore in T.O.-1. The longitude at apogee-1 is about 259 deg East. The parking slot of 55 deg
East is 156 deg east of the apogee-1 longitude. A single LAM burn is planned around the sub-synchronous
apogee-1 to raise the perigee to synchronous level and also achieve inclination of 27 deg. This results in a
longitude drift rate of about 91 deg/rev so that the s/c will be at about 42 deg East one and half
revolutions later. The plan is summarized in Table-10. It is assumed that LAM is not usable for the second
burn. The second burn has to be carried out using the four 22 N West thrusters, mounted on –Roll face
and normally used for attitude control during LAM firing, in backup LAM mode. The delta-V imparted in
the second burn is about 346 m/s. The West thrusters firing duration is about 1457 sec and the
propellant consumed is 90.2 kg.

The total delta-V for achieving target NGS orbit is 2259 m/s and the corresponding total fuel is nearly 753
kg. The penalty in delta-V and propellant consumed with respect to nominal plan is 365 m/s and 97.5 kg
respectively.

Contingency Maneuver at Apogee#4

IRNSS-1A has a liquid bi-propellant propulsion system and all the LAM firings are planned in pressure
regulated mode. The Latch Valve Gas (LVG) side is opened before Apogee#4 to pressurize the propellant
tanks, though the first LAM burn is post-Perigee#5. This is to take care of pressure regulator related
contingencies. A large first burn is required at Apogee#4 in case of pressure regulator failure after LVG
open, to reduce the propellant tank pressures to safe levels. The strategy with MVR-1 at apogee-4 is
summarized in Table-11. The delta-V imparted in the first burn is about 1453 m/s and the propellant
consumed is 538.5 kg. The burn duration is about 3782 sec. The post-MVR#1 drift rate achieved is about
184 deg/rev and the target inclination of 27 deg is achieved.

Second burn is planned at apogee-7, through this maneuver perigee will be corrected fully to the
synchronous height. The post-MVR#2 drift rate is about 92 deg/rev. Remaining correction is planned at
Apogee10. The total delta-V for achieving NGS orbit is about 2270 m/s and the corresponding total
propellant is nearly 746 kg. The penalty in delta v and propellant consumed with respect to nominal plan
is 376 m/s and 91 kg respectively.

Contingency Maneuver at Apogee#6

If a leak is observed in the propulsion system over the course of MVR-1, then LAM burn has to be
completed within next 14 hours. This plan is summarized in Table-12. The second LAM burn is planned at
the sub-synchronous apogee#6 to raise perigee to synchronous level and achieve inclination of 27 deg.
The third and last LE burn is planned at apogee#10 using West thrusters in backup plan mode to impart
213 m/s delta-v. The total delta-V for achieving GSO is about 2142 m/s and the corresponding total
propellant is nearly 723 kg. The penalty in delta-V and propellant consumed with respect to nominal plan
is about 248 m/s and 68 kg respectively.

Maneuver Strategy Realization

Based on the carried out detailed mission analysis the 5-burn operationally optimal maneuver strategy
was successfully implemented for the orbit raising of IRNSS-1A. The launch dispersions were well within
the quoted dispersions from PSLV. The planned and realized delta-V, thrust and observed yaw error for
each burn are shown in Table 12 & Table 13.
IRNSS subsystems and payload
IRNSS is an autonomous regional satellite navigation system being developed by ISRO (Indian Space Research
Organization). The proposed IRNSS system will consist of a constellation of seven satellites and a supporting
ground segment. Three of the satellites in the constellation will be placed in a geostationary orbit and the
remaining four in a geosynchronous inclined orbit of 29º relative to the equatorial plane. Such an arrangement
would mean all seven satellites would have continuous radio visibility with Indian control stations.

ISRO has filed for 24 MHz bandwidth of spectrum in the L5-band (1164 – 1189 MHz) for IRNSS and for the second
signal in S-band (2483.5 – 2500 MHz).

Now we can look into the details of subsystems of the IRNSS Navigation system

Space segment
The IRNSS spacecraft are dedicated for navigation services and they are configured to be of a class that can be
launched by the Indian launcher PSLV. The design incorporates most of the proven subsystems available
indigenously tailoring it specifically for the navigation.

Figure : The IRNSS constellation with the daily lemniscate projection of the 4 GSO spacecraft onto Earth (image
credit: ISRO)
The space segment consists of seven satellites: 
 1) 3 satellites in geostationary orbit at 32.5°, 83° and 131.5° East.
2) 4 satellites in geosynchronous orbit placed at inclination of 29° with longitude crossing at 55° and 111.75°
East
3) The satellites are specially configured for the navigation. Same configuration for GEO and GSO which is
desirable for the production of the satellites.

Spacecraft
The IRNSS satellites are configured around the spacecraft bus I-1K, which is similar to ISRO’s meteorological
satellite, Kalpana-1, with a dry mass of ~600 kg and a launch mass of 1,425 kg. The solar panels are generating a
power of 1600 W (with a payload power requirement of 900 W.

The spacecraft are 3-axis stabilized. Attitude control of the satellite is provided with yaw steering, a capability to
optimize the use of the solar panels and to support the thermal control of the satellite.

Launch mass 1425 kg, dry mass of 614 kg

Spacecraft size (launch configuration) 1.58 m x 1.5 m x 1.5 m

EPS (Electrical Power Subsystem)
ADCS (Attitude Determination and Control Subsystem)
Mission life
Two solar panels generating 1660 W, one lithium-ion
battery of 90 Ah capacity
Zero momentum system, orientation input from sun & star
sensors and gyroscopes; reaction wheels, magnetic
torquers and 22 Newton thrusters as actuators
10 years

Propulsion 440 N LAM (Liquid Apogee Motor) with twelve 22 N

thrusters

Table : Parameters of the IRNSS-1 spacecraft

 Figure : Preliminary view of a deployed IRNSS spacecraft (image credit: ISRO)

Figure: Photo of IRNSS-1A undergoing test in Figure: Photo of Irnss-1A after its integration
the clean room. (image credit: ISRO) with the PSLC-C22 (image credit: ISRO)

Electrical power subsystem(EPS)

The electrical power required for the functioning of the spacecraft is generated using two solar
panels of 1660 watts. The solar panels are aligned in their specific positions after the
spacecraft is placed in its orbit. The power generated by the solar panels is stored in a 90 Ah
battery. The required power is transferred to different devices from the battery with the aid of
on-board computer system.

Attitude Determination and Control Sub-system(ADCS)

The Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) is a crucial subsystem of a spacecraft. It provides pointing
accuracy and stability of the payloads and antennas as critical parts of the S/C operation and the mission
success. The different functions of the ADCS are :

1) It maintains the satellite at certain attitude for the proper functionality of the payloads.
2) Satellite attitude needs to be maintained for reception of a sufficient amount of solar flux to generate
power. The orientation of solar panels are controlled for optimum power generation.
3) The ADCS ensures that the antennae point in a particular direction for proper communication by the
communication subsystem.
4) It also maintains the angular rates of the satellite within a particular threshold for proper operation of the
payload and proper communication between the satellite and the ground station.

The structure of the satellite is designed so that all sensors and actuators be placed such that the principal axes of
The
inertia should be oriented as desired and also not hindering the sensitivity of any of the sensors.
components of ADCS in IRNSS-1A include a zero momentum system, sun and star sensors for
orientation input, gyroscopes, reaction wheels, magnetic torquers and 22 N thrusters as
actuators.
 Figure: On board computer diagramatical representation.

The Onboard Computer System

The spacecraft control computer is a key element for controlling the spacecraft and maintaining the safety of the
spacecraft. The spacecraft includes a large number of discrete sensors and the remote interface unit implements these
discrete interfaces in one unit controlled by the spacecraft control computer. The space borne controls are based on
Centralized Control systems where a single central control unit is responsible to control the application tasks and
performing data management.

The on-board computer performs several different tasks. The most important are :

1) Receive and respond to commands from the ground station as well as handle the general housekeeping of the
satellite.
2) Collect the telemetry data, format and encode the data for transmitting to the ground station.
3) Attitude determination and control by monitoring earth’s magnetic field using control algorithms.
4) Monitors temperature of all subsystems and maintains the satellite in specified temperature range using
heaters.
5) Store payload and telemetry data during non-visible period for transmission during visibility.

Liquid Apogee Motor (LAM)

It is a chemical rocket engine used as the main engine in the spacecraft. The name apogee motor derives from the type
of manoeuvre for which the engine is typically used, i.e. an in-space velocity  change made at the apogee of an elliptical
orbit in order to circularise it. For geostationary satellites, this type of orbital manoeuvre is performed for transition
from a geostationary transfer orbit and place the satellite on station in a circular geostationary orbit. Despite the name,
an apogee engine can be used for a range of other manoeuvres, such as end-of-life deorbit Earth orbit escape, planetary
orbit insertion and planetary descent/ascent

A typical liquid apogee engine scheme could be defined as an engine with:

 1) Pressure-regulated hypergolic liquid bipropellant feed, thermally isolated solenoid or torque motor valves,
injector assembly containing (though dependent on the injector) central oxidant gallery and outer fuel gallery,
radioactive and film-cooled combustion chamber, characteristic velocity limited by thermal capability of
combustion chamber material,
2) Thrust coefficient limited by supersonic area ratio of the expansion nozzle.
3) To protect the spacecraft from the radiant heat of the combustion chamber, these engines are generally
installed together with a heat shield. Similar heat shields are also used to protect the components of the satellite
from the adverse temperatures in outer space.

In IRNSS-1A a 440N Liquid Apogee Motor is used with twelve 22 N thrusters.

Payloads
  The IRNSS 1A carry a navigation payload in a redundant configuration. A separate C-band transponder for precise
CDMA ranging is included in the payload configuration. The important functions of the IRNSS 1A payload are:
Transmission of the navigational timing information in the L5 bands; transmission of navigation, timing information in S-
band; generation of navigation data on-board, CDMA ranging transponder for precise ranging.

The navigation payload will have the following subsystems: NSGU (Navigation Signal Generation Unit), Atomic clock unit,
comprising of Rubidium atomic clocks, clock management and control unit, frequency generation unit, modulation unit,
high power amplifier unit, power combining unit and navigation antenna. The design incorporates most of the most of
the proven subsystems available indigenously tailoring it specifically for the navigation

IRNSS-1A carries two types of payloads navigation payload and ranging payload in addition with a retro-reflector array..
The navigation payload of IRNSS-1A transmits navigation service signals to the users .The ranging (CDMA) payload
consists of a C-band transponder which facilitates accurate determination of the range of the satellite

The design of the payload makes the IRNSS system interoperable and compatible with GPS and Galileo.

1) A highly accurate Rubidium atomic clock is part of the navigation payload.

a) L5-band downlink center frequency: 1176.45 MHz, bandwidth of 24 MHz,RHCP (Right Hand Circular
Polarization)
b) S-band downlink center frequency: 2492.028 MHz, bandwidth of 16.5 MHz, RHCP
c) C-band uplink: 6700 – 6725 MHz, RHCP; downlink: 3400-3425 MHz, LHCP (Left Hand Circular
Polarization
2) The ranging payload of IRNSS-1A consists of a C-band transponder which facilitates accurate determination of
the spacecraft range.

3) kIRNSS-1A carries also corner cube retro reflectors for laser ranging.
 Ground segment:

The IRNSS ground segment includes the major systems for controlling the satellite constellation and will consist of the
IRNSS Spacecraft Control Facility (IRSCF), IRNSS Navigation Control Facility, IRNSS Range and Integrity Monitoring
Stations , ranging stations, a timing center, IRNSS TTC and uplink stations, and the IRNSS Data Communication Network.

IRNSS Ground Segment Elements:

 IRSCF (IRNSS Satellite Control Facility)

- IRTTC (IRNSS TTC and Land Uplink Stations)
- IRSCC (IRNSS Satellite Control Center)
 IRIMS (IRNSS Range and Integrity Monitoring Stations)
 IRNCF (IRNSS Navigation Control Facility)
 IRDCN (IRNSS Data Communication Network)

Seventeen IRIMS sites will be distributed across the country for orbit determination and ionosphere modeling. Four
ranging stations, separated by wide and long baselines, will provide two-way CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access)
ranging. The IRNSS timing center will consist of highly stable clocks. The navigation center will receive all this data
through communication links, then process and transmit the information to the satellites. 

IRNSS will have a network of 21 ranging stations geographically distributed primarily across India. They provide data for
the orbit determination of IRNSS satellites and monitoring of the navigation signals. The data from the
ranging/monitoring stations is sent to the data processing facility at INC where it is processed to generate the navigation
messages. The navigation messages are then transmitted from INC to the IRNSS satellites through the spacecraft control
facility at Hassan/Bhopal. The state of the art data processing and storage facilities at INC enable swift processing of data
and support its systematic storage.

User segment:

The user segment consists of IRNSS receivers operating in:

 Single frequency ( L5 at 1176.45 MHz or S-band at 2492.028 MHz)

 Dual frequency (L5 and S-band)

The single frequency and dual frequency receivers shall receive both SPS (Special Positioning System), which is provided
to all users, and RS (Restricted/Authorized Service) signals, which is an encrypted service provided only to authorized
users.

The IRNSS user receiver calculates its position using the timing information embedded in the navigation signal,
transmitted from the IRNSS satellites. The timing information being broadcast in the navigation signal is derived from the
atomic clock on-board the IRNSS satellite.

The IRNWT (IRNSS Network Time) is determined from a clock ensemble composed of the cesium and hydrogen maser
atomic clocks at the INC (Indian Navigation Centre) ground stations. As with UTC, IRNWT is also a weighted mean
average time, but with two substantial differences. IRNWT will be made available in real time and is a continuous time
without leap seconds. The IRNSS satellites carry a rubidium atomic frequency standard on-board. At INC through
navigation software, these on-board clocks are monitored and controlled. The deviation between each of the satellite
and IRNWT is modelled with a quadratic function of time, and the parameters of this model are calculated and
transmitted as a part of the IRNSS broadcast navigation messages.

The parameters are often called as clock bias (A0) or the clock offset (in seconds), drift (A1) or the relative frequency
instability (in seconds/second) and aging (A2), also referred to as relative frequency shift (in seconds/second 2). Apart
from these corrections, any IRNSS users should consider the necessary relativistic time adjustment. With these
adjustment parameters, which are usually calculated once per day, are then transmitted to the satellites, thus the
satellite clock errors are expected to be well within 5 -10ns which fulfils the requirement.

The estimated accuracy is < 20 m over the Indian ocean region, and < 10 m over main land India. 

IRNSS signals:
The IRNSS constellation is expected to provide a position accuracy of better than 20 m over India and a region extending
outside the Indian land mass to about 1,500 km. The system will provide two types of services:

1. SPS (Standard Positioning Service)

2. RS (Restricted/Authorized Service)

Both of these services will be provided at two frequencies, one in the L5 band and the other in S-band.

SPS will use bi-phase shift keying BPSK (1) modulation, whereas the RS service will employ binary offset carrier (BOC (5,
2)) modulation. An additional BOC pilot signal is being provided for the RS Service in order to help provide better
acquisition and performance. As each L5-band and S-band contains three signals, the IRNSS design adds an interplex
signal in order to maintain the constant envelope characteristic of the composite signal. The transmission is done using
the L-band and S-band helix array antenna to provide global coverage in right-hand circularly polarized (RHCP) signals.
Thus, user receivers can operate in single-and/or dual-frequency mode.

Figure: Illustration of the IRNSS coverage which includes an area of ~1500 km around the Indian land mass (image credit:
ISRO)

Timing group delay:

The time of radiation of the navigation signals on each carrier frequency and among frequencies is not synchronized due
to the different digital and analog signal paths that each signal must travel from the IRNSS satellite signal generator to
the transmit antenna. This hardware group delay is defined as a time difference between the transmitted RF signal
(measured at the phase center of a transmitting antenna) and the signal at the output of the on-board frequency source.

Three different parameters comprise this group delay: a fixed/bias group delay, a differential group delay and a group
delay uncertainty in bias and differential value.

The fixed delay or hardware group delay is a bias term included in the clock correction parameters transmitted in the
navigation data and is, therefore, accounted for by the user computations of system time in the appropriate GPS
interface specifications. More specifically, this delay represents the amount of time it takes the signal to start from the
common clock, travel through each code generator, modulator, up-converter, transmitter, and finally emerge from the
satellite antenna.

The hardware group delay uncertainty reflects the variability in the path delay due to changeable conditions in the
operational environment and other factors. The effective uncertainty of the group delay will be in the range of few
nanoseconds (on the order of 1-3 ns).

Each IRNSS navigation signal has two hardware paths — main and redundant. The hardware will be different for each
path in terms of data generator, modulator, up converter, travelling-wave tube amplifier (TWTA), cable, and integration
components.

In case of failure, the signal will be diverted from the main subsystem to the redundant subsystem. The delay of main
and redundant subsystem will be different and thus cause a difference in the mean path delay based on the selected
path for the navigation signal.
Differential group delay is the difference in delays between two navigation signals. It consists of random plus bias
components. The mean differential is defined as the bias component and will be either positive or negative. For a given
navigation payload redundancy configuration, the absolute value of the mean differential delay shall not exceed a few
nanoseconds, i.e., on the order of 15 to 30 ns.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Major of our content is influenced from websites on Mission Design of IRNSS

1) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/277475032_MISSION_DESIGN_AND_ANALYSIS_F
OR_IRNSS-1A
2) https://earth.esa.int/documents/163813/465956/IRNSS_Auto8
3) https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/i/irnss
4) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Regional_Navigation_Satellite_System
5) https://www.isro.gov.in/Spacecraft/irnss-1a
6) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRNSS-1A